A bald eagle surprised travelers at Charlotte airport in North Carolina

(CNN) — It turns out that eagles also sometimes have to make commercial flights.

Passengers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina had an unexpected hiatus from the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint annoyance when a bald eagle, perched on its handler’s arm, deployed his wings in the safety line on Thursday.

« His airline notified us and we checked him and his handler, » the agency wrote. « Clark is trained to spread his wings and even showed off a bit during the screening. »

The World Bird Sanctuary where Clark lives cares for more than 200 animals outside of St. Louis, Missouri. He treats and rehabilitates injured birds at his wildlife hospital and also permanently houses a number of non-releasable residents, such as Clark.

But he was born with scaly foot deformities that rendered him unreleasable, according to the shrine. So instead, he became one of the organization’s « flying ambassadors » and travels across the United States to fly at different events, like the High Point Convocation Ceremony and baseball games. professionals.